VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS Upper Class Business Class Seat reviews

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A340-600

The herringbone configuration is standard nowwith them and I find it very comfortable. It turned over to a flat bed with ease and the adjustments in the seat all worked. The service good on the way there and back. The food is good and was available at any time. The negative point I could give is the seat adjustment didnt go far back enough for me. I am an average sized person in weight and height and found the seat to be perfect for my frame.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

The new Upper Class seat on the A330 is very disappointing. No armrests, no where to put any belongings or rest a glass or cup & saucer. The Pod is very narrow, also when laid flat your head is lower than your body so no comfort there. The seat has little adjustment and the pillows are too big to be of use there. Tried to use the monitor for games it was very slow and would not respond to finger touch. Amenity Kit is a joke - a grey felt pencil case - most were left unopened! I have always been a fan of Virgin Atlantic and am a Member of The Flying Club however it could be it is time for a change.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

We flew the A330 LHR to Newark and had middle aisle seats. I thought the width fine however when the seat was fully flat, I couldn't stretch my kegs out fully (I'm 6ft 3in). On the return we were on the 747 and had seats 1a and 1k on the upper deck. The seats are longer on the upper deck than downstairs. For me it was great to sleep as I could stretch out fully when I wanted to. Some people make a fuss about having 5 rows of economy passengers upstairs with you, but it isn't that big of a deal. When disembarking you won't get priority as upper class does but we were on the night flight back from JFK and I don't really think it's such an issue when you've finished your trip. If you're taking the night flight and you want a good sleep, choose the upper deck. There's only 10 seats in the upper deck business class cabin so it feels quite exclusive!

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

I have never seen such appalling chairs and on a flight from London to Los Angeles, spending over 10 hours in those cramped, claustrophobic cubicles was a horrible experience. The airline may anticipate flying into space, but they need to come down to "earth" as far their regular fleets are concerned.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

Boston to LHR 21st July 2014. Sadly the seats are cramped with no arm rests and the pod seemed narrow, hot and claustrophobic. To be frank, I prefer business class seats where you can lie back progressively. The seat controls seemed to have very little impact. The seats were either totally flat or semi reclined - consequently you have no alternative to be totally flat and "out of action" or semi-reclined - there is nothing in between!. The staff were very attentive, but I was surprised that there was no starter with the evening meal. The aisle was also very narrow and it was clear that too many seats "shoe horned" into the space. Overall great staff but very disappointed with the product . We will be looking for alternatives in the future.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

As a BA gold card holder and flying from Asia to uk every month, was excited at a change of scenery with Virgin Atlantic - mistake. Virgin Upper seating was so uncomfortable, narrow and short, and I concur with some of the other comments below: why put the small tray for drinks behind your head and under a lamp?; why have the tv at the same height as your table?; why face everybody towards each other, with barely a space between each row of seats? I would have sat at the bar, but the cabin crew were sat there eating crisps and chatting after rushing lunch service through the cabin. I now appreciate all the space in BA Club World, the extra storage space, the space to move, and the attentive personal service of BA long haul where drinks and dinner are a relaxed affair - sometimes you need to gauge something against an alternative to realise how good it was in the first place.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

I flew Upper Class from Newark, NJ to London, Heathrow. As soon as I boarded I noticed there were far more seats than on other Virgin Upper Class. My seat was in the middle row configuration which in best of circumstances feels cramped. These seats were much narrower and shorter than those on other aircraft, such the 747. And instead of the usual solid dividers between seats these were made of smoky plastic to give the "illusion" of more space. But you could still see the other passengers. I mentioned all this to the stewardess this and she conceded that this model aircraft was introduced when "economic times were tough" and the company was trying to save on fuel. So seats were added. I've always considered Virgin Atlantic the work horse for long haul flights; what you got for the cost of an Upper Class seat was better value than business class seat on British airways. But the current airfare air fares for Upper Class are almost as high as British Airways. For me Virgin Atlantic - particularly on this aircraft, seems to be losing its value.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

MIA-LHR return in Upper Class - service by flight attendants was outstanding. However, the overall experience was disappointing. Seats have three positions: upright, slight recline and flat bed. Upon request, the flight attendant will reposition the seat into a bed and provide a duvet and coverlet with pillow. The bed is satisfactory for sleeping but it is not possible to readjust to a seating position without vacating the seat and removing the linen. The entire configuration is uncomfortable and impractical. When the seat is configured to a flat bed, reading and watching TV is near impossible. A far better seat would allow the passenger to readjust the bed to a comfortable recline which would permit reading, watching TV, or eating which is the case with most other carriers. People with some limited mobility should avoid Upper Class at all cost.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

Upper Class seats from Washington DC to LHR are a complete joke. Flew out daytime Premium Economy and back overnight Upper Class. Premium economy were very comfortable. Upper Class 'beds' are narrow and shaped like an odd banana ie pointed at each end. I am just over 6 ft tall and not fat and the bed was short, narrow and 'hard'. My next flight across the pond is with BA if it was with Virgin I would cancel, it was that bad.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

Several flights now - London to NY and back. This new Upper Class configuration (which began around 6 months ago) is truly appalling - about 1/3 to 1/4 smaller than the previous configuration. Absolutely no space for hand luggage because there are now so many seats in Upper Class. It is a complete joke - cattle class at upper class prices. Much as I hate BA, I have had to start flying BA as I cannot bear the risk of getting into another Virgin Upper Class flight in this configuration.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

Gatwick to St Lucia 04/01 2014. Appalling seats. No armrests coffin like and hard. I am tall and large but even my short and slim wife found the seating dreadful. Crew and food were good but clearly embarrassed at cabin layout . The bar stools are a complete joke . We have supported Virgin Atlantic versus BA on this route for 7 consecutive years (we have a home in St Lucia) but will not fly Virgin again till we here cabins have been greatly improved.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

Great service and staff really can't make up for an inferior seat. The return flight from Newark to London was on a new plane and the seat was so narrow I had to sit with my elbows up at head height draped over the dividing walls as there was insufficient space to put them by my sides. I pulled the seat flat (a manual process now .. Older models used to be electrically convertible) and found seat to short to lie my 6'2" frame and I couldn't lie on side and bend knees as the seat was too narrow! I am connecting to Singapore airlines a380 biz class which is how biz class should be. So, Virgin, great staff, great atmosphere, great club house but absolutely hate the herring bone seats. At one stage I went into the economy cabin and thought next trip I would go there as they look no worse! BA have proper seats so maybe I will switch.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330-300

My wife and I flew in Upper Class both ways to and from Antigua in Jan/Feb 2014. The outward journey to Antigua was ok (just) with the service and flight entertainment being acceptable. The general cabin layout is awful as there are too many seats squashed into this Upper Class cabin. The seating layout is nowhere near as good as the 747 jumbo jets that we have used in the past. The return journey was terrible for me as I could not attain a comfortable position on the converted bed - the 'pod' is definitely smaller than the one in the 747. Within the confines of the 'pod' i found the temperature to be uncomfortable and even using the ventilators, which took ages to set up, i felt uncomfortably hot and as a result I was not able to sleep at all! The service on the night service return flight was not very good. I did have a problem getting assistance with the setting up of the bed. As the attendant was about to set the bed up the seatbelt signs came on and he told me he could not continue. What really annoyed me was that one of his female colleagues continued to set up a bed on the other aisle whilst the sign was on. My overall experience with the night flight was very poor and I felt that I did not receive value for money in Upper class. I think a lot of people book Upper Class so that they can have sleep. I believe Virgin have got this aircraft set up badly wrong. My next long haul flight will be with BA in their Business Class cabin and it will be interesting to compare both experiences.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

Barbados to LGW, Upper Class. Normally we travel VA Premium Economy but this time paid the extra to upgrade to Upper Class hoping for a better overnight travel home. What a waste of money! Many of the passengers laughed when they tried to get comfortable in their pods. My "flat bed" positively sloped so my head was lower than my feet and it made me feel ill. To check I balanced a bottle of water on the "flat bed" and several tests showed it rolling to the lower head end. No arm rest to one side. Miniscule pocket storage, once something goes in near impossible to retrieve it. On exit I asked others what they thought of the Pods and one comment summed it up: "designer could never have spent 9 hours sitting in it - worst experience ever". My wife wants to go back to Premium Economy, I want to try alternative airlines!

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330-300

This is the first time I have flown upper class on Virgin Atlantic and unless I get a similar price (which was cheaper than premium economy on this occasion for whatever reason) I will stick to premium . The seat was great in the seated position as was the IFE, however the service was rushed and I was not offered everything on the menu. I was looking forward to getting some sleep, however the seat when converted to a bed was very confined and uncomfortable to say the least. I'm 5/10 tall so you would have thought I would be okay, however due to the seats tapered design my feet were resting on the beds framework which was very uncomfortable. Had I been paying full whack I would have been mortified. On the outbound flight I was premium economy which I couldn't fault.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

Really disappointed in this new cabin lay-out and seat. The windows have now been removed from the flying experience and the seat is cramped and restricted. I am of average height and weight but anyone wider or taller would be very cramped. Was not able to adjust seat and overall I felt it was a step back from the previous layout.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

Refurbished 747-400. Smaller upper class cabins out of LGW than LHR. Problem with the seats are that they are very hard and the airline will only give one duvet per customer. So I always bring my own extra duvet. Do not choose seats in row 6 in the nozzle, you really feel an extension of your opposite neighbour. There is not much place to store stuff around your seat for take off and landing. The beds are quite narrow and with an extra duvet it is not that easy to loosely fasten the seat belt for sleep/turbulence. Food is good. Bar area is more of a work space for the crew. It has only 2 bar stools for a start. So you are clearly not meant to linger. New audio TV system VERA is not that touch reactive and can be frustrating to operate, especially in the volume control department. Staff are friendly but some of the older members seem a little "tired" of the job. Also, it would be nice if they could allow for some proper fresh air to pass through the cabins in the turn around. The one I boarded in LGW smelt like the end of the previous flight, very chemical and the area around the loos was particularly pungent. This is because it goes straight on to the flight jetty. They could open up some of the other doors.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

The new Upper Class seat is disappointing and on the A330, feels cramped and does not justify being called Business Class. Twice, flight attendants accidentally knocked my foot which rested well within the boundaries of the ottoman, without even acknowledging it. Having said that, the aisles are so very narrow with the new seating configuration that it's easily done. Even so, if I had been working the flight I would have apologized. The other impression I get from the service is that the overriding objective is to get everything finished and put away as quickly (and noisily!) as possible. I can understand there are pressures to do this but on an 8 hour flight, it's not fair or really necessary to rush everything, making it feel like a race - especially in a premium cabin. Even the toilets were locked more than half an hour before landing. As for comfort; I find the new seat poorly designed and less comfortable than the old one. The so-called opaque glass partition might just as well be clear as it allows you to see right through it. As a bed, it feels cramped and coffin-like. So, in future, if I fly Virgin it will be Premium Economy because at least you get roughly what you pay for, with it more or less living up to what is promised. Upper Class doesn't, I'm sorry to say.